The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-18
THE RAISE IN ICE RATES
Why the Small Buyers Must Pay Forty
Per Cent. More than Heretofore.
Ton, but Admit that they Sell at Whole
for ST. 80 a Ton and Make Profit.

Unless there is a break in the agreement Of
the ice men, and all of them have subscribed to
it, this summer luxury during the season will
add materially to household expenses. The
dealers say that for years. they have been cut
ing in prices savagely that mono of them have
made any money, and now they propose to
hedge at the peoples expense. 1t is admitted
that the hotel-keepers, butchers, brewers, poul-
try dealers and others, who take large quantities.
not dissatisfied with the rates established by
the agreement. They get their g. 600 pounds or
wagon-load lots at Is cents per hundred. From
this up there is scale, until the small family
supply cannot be had at less that 80 cents per
hundred pounds.
why do you make such wide difference in
price this year when last year families sup
piled at thirty cents per hundred, while the ad
vance to large consumers is triviall" asked
of an ice man yesterday.
1T costs more to supply families Say deal
er has one hundred customers in section of
the city. It will take two men from o'clock in
the morning until o'clock in the afternoon to
get around There is almost days work in
supplying these one hundred families. Again,
the loss in ice is greater in having the blocks cut
into small quantities. In sending out wagon
loads to one customer it does not take so much
OF the time of the men,"
That is the ce-dealers' account OF it. But it
is possible that the Dealers in order to favor the
large consumers and hold their custom, think
the family supply should be advanced to cover
slight margins at wholesal1ng.
There is another loss that is to be recovered
from the family supply at SO cents instead of 30
cents per hundred the average price of last year.
Saloons are rated as consumers from 200 to 900
pounds daily. 'ThiS CUSTOM" continued the
dealer, lis cash. We get no complaints from
saloon men, although we were forced to save our
selves by advancing the price. When driver and
his helper deliver two hundred more pounds
to a saloon. the saoon-keeper pays the money,
less 10 or 20 cents rebate which ne takes for the
treat he expects the driver to give him. This is
an invariable custom, and one that puts the ice
to the saloon keeper almost at cost price" The
present agreement price lets these consumers
have ice at 20 or % cents per hundred, the treat
included. The smaller sum Is charged those who
take from five hundred to thousand pounds
and the larger those who have from two hundred
TO five hundred pounds Between the prices
two hundred pounds daily the dis
parity in price is still marked. This
class get ice at 80 cents per hundred, while the
smallest consumers pay 80 cents. Ice is now
being furnished the city at 20 cents per hun
bred and the courthouse at 124 cents by one of
the dealers who charges others according to the
agreement scale. But" says the dealer. ''we
have made money for years, and our crop
this year was II, 900 tons short"
Are you wholesaling much2'
Eyes. We have much better trade in that
way this year than last During April and May
of SO we sold but little, but this year
shipping to points we never shipped to before,
and that at advanced rate"
CAT what figures?"
SAT $3.50 per ton delivered the cars"
''What is the cost per ton to get the ice into
your houses2"
About So so per ton. The Water-works
Company alone charge us 81 per for canal
water, and when we get the ice stored it costs
So so at least" The claim is also up that
last winter was bad season. but the dealers ad-
init the ice is of extra fine quality. They deny
that there is pool, but when they sell
ice at wholesale at ST. so per ton that
them So. 80, it looks very much like a
a pool, particularly when all say that the ice
houses not full. although some dealers
knowledge that a quantity of So and SO ice is
still in the houses. But ice, you know" said
dealer. that is kept over two years, is Of an in
ferior quality"
In ST Louis the people having a like
trouble. where the cost of to the dealer is
timated at 37a cents per ton. instead of 81 so,
here. But the agreement-lst suggests strongly
that the small consumer is to have more ber-
efts from competition, until the alleged losses
are recovered.